Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-09-16
Pretty Thin.

Mr.. Cleveland, 1t seems, still hugs him
self under the delusion that he is civil
service reformer, and that the reform is
actually making progress, through his eff
forts. In Mr.. Ballard Smiths interview
with him, revised by Mr.. Cleveland for
publication in the lVOrld, the President
said
feel that it has been, too, the scene in
which very great Improvement has been
made in civil service ideas. In the first
months, in the FIRST year and a half of my
administration, the same battle was
fought day after day. Men came here by
the hundred-by the thousand-each com
pany filling the room and emptying it
only to make way for another throng, and
there was always the same formula: 81
- be removed The reason ?" |
would say, "Why, he is republican"
would be the uniform answer. This re-
peated over and over and over again in
each successive case with seemingly hope
less iteration. | had al"ays-l could have
but the same answer "You must bring
me proof of his uniitness as public Off
cer.' ,
But now the formula is altogether
changed. | have not heard that eX-
preston for many months past. 1t
is now, at the outset of every application
lOT a CudIBe. / HIS llluu Is unit, IL ltllll
less public servant, and these are the rea-
sons. Is not this very great deal to have
accomplished? Is not this sufficient an
swer to those who may complain that
more has not been Accomplishment
The sincere friend of civil service re
form for whom this is a sufficient answer
must he very poorly posted in regard to
what is going on. Mr.. Cleveland himself
cannot possibly believe that the tens of
thousands of changes made by him
have al! been changes Of faithless
public servants for faithful ones
What Mr.. Cleveland has done has been to
compel the Office seekers and bosses who
apply to him, to add falsehood, ANA in
some Cases perjury, to their applications.
1t is not enough Tor them to say the man
whose place we want is a republican,
They must also say The is a faithless SER
want" and perhaps trump up some sort of
papers" to sustain the allegation OF
course they say what is necessary. And,
as the case of Gen. Wells in this State
showed, Mr.. Cleveland takes what they
say, no matter how false the charge, or
how big the lies by which it is sustained.
The changes are all the same made. simply
publican and the man who wanted the
place WAS a democrat Four out of five
and probably more of the cases OF re
moval. have been the substitution of in
experienced, less competent and often
less honest men for experienced and faith
full pubic servants; and what Mr. Cleve-
land has accomplished has been to add
gross and groundless Islander to the wrong
Of removing the latter
This paper was an advocate of the prin-
ciples Of civil service reform before they
! became popular We believe in those
principles, and have -alwaysl been ready
TO welcome all sincere and efficient help
erson of the reform. II Mr.. Cleveland
had lived up to his professions and pledges
in this respect. the fact that he is the head
of the party which we oppose, would not
prevent us from giving him all the credit
he deserved. His course in regard to the
federal offices in this State, in the re-
moval of faithful, experienced officials who
| were iuoffensive partisans, to make
places for active, managing demo
cratic politicians, and in giving the control
of the minor offices to the party bosses, was
enough to satisfy any intelligent person,
that Mr. Cleveland's professions of regard
for civil service reform were nothing but
sham. The course of events in other
states has added to this conviction. The
sweep has already been pretty nearly a
clean one. The offices will soon be all in
democratic hands, save only here and there
man who keeps his place simply because
he is absolutely indispensable. Mr.. Cleve-
land need not suppose that he can now
make people believe that all this has been
simply the changing of bad men for good.
As things are going Mr., Cleveland's sub.
ordinates do not have to allege any cause
or furnish even false treason" for the
removals they make. All they have to